Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 216
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 1 Episode 216
74. Roaming (1)
Can’t we beat a team with a well-developed midlaner just by nurturing an ADC?
This concern wasn’t something only Almond wrestled with.
It had always been a persistent challenge throughout Rell’s history.
However, experts generally emphasized the importance of the mid lane.
Taco was no exception.
‘Hmm… The mid lane is the problem.’
In Rell’s siege warfare, if only one lane absolutely had to thrive.
Taco would unhesitatingly choose mid.
A lane that monopolizes experience alone and leads the game through collaboration with the jungle.
Simply being geographically central grants it overwhelming influence over other lanes.
Just as our country occupies a strategic position to influence Japan and China geographically, the mid lane possesses inherent geographical advantages.
That’s why the champions sent to mid are incredibly powerful. Rather, the powerful ones are sent to mid.
It’s a position with heavy shoulders, and equally, a position capable of doing so much.
‘If mid sets the table, the ADC just needs to eat.’
The ADC is a position that shines once the game state is established.
‘If the enemy mid is a high-rank player, our team has no one to set the table….’
This was Taco’s current concern.
The absence of teammates to support Almond’s damage output.
‘Mid can set the table and eat alone, but ADC can’t.’
Mid creates the game state and can even end the game solo.
But the ADC is a finisher specialist.
Unparalleled in this field, but honestly, compared to mid, their influence falls far short.
No matter how hard Almond tries… overcoming inherent limitations is difficult.
‘Inherent limitations….’
Rell has diverse champions and diverse strategies.
Taco’s mind raced.
Were ADCs really ‘all’ focused solely on finishing?
‘No. Even if their damage is slightly lower… there are those who aren’t.’
As if something occurred to him, he began typing frantically in his notes.
‘With this… the ADC can exert influence too.’
Taco’s expression grew increasingly brighter.
‘If we ban the Monk and Miho shuts down Mosol….’
The second set shows promise.
‘I’ll develop mid through Almond.’
With his perspective shifted, the answer became clear.
Rather than simply nurturing Almond, he could have Almond develop the other laners.
* * *
“Following the first set, we’re now starting the second set’s ban and pick phase.”
The caster glanced between the two commentators before speaking.
“That’s right. In this ban and pick phase, the main topic has to be the Monk, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Will they really ban him?”
“Well, it’s hard to say whether his good performance came from not facing Miho, or if the Monk pick was just for fun. Mosol’s fundamental skill is so overwhelmingly superior to Miho’s that it was difficult to properly analyze.”
[Balloon Stars Ban #1]
[Monk – Jagar]
Thud.
The ban landed the moment he finished speaking.
“Oh! They’re banning the Monk!?”
Then Mosol’s side immediately banned Succubus.
[Soloizebaek Ban #1]
[Succubus – Sitri]
“And right after that, the Succubus ban!”
“So in the last game, it was really just because he couldn’t see!? When he faces Miho, does he really play that poorly!?”
“Wow. This is actually a serious ban and pick strategy. I can’t believe it!”
Laughter rippled through the audience.
-Lol seriously, the Monk is that important?
-Does his skill really drop when he faces Miho??
Does your skill really deteriorate when you see Miho?
-Mosol’s getting exposed….
“Everyone, don’t misunderstand! We’re banning the Monk because he’s too strong!”
“Right! The mid lane Monk showed incredible mastery, didn’t he? It was almost certain he was a trump card.”
-Hahaha
-The casters are losing their credibility~!
-What do we do without the Monk now?? Lol
After that, the bans proceeded exactly as the casters had predicted.
Once both teams finished their bans.
King Gul pointed out a key detail.
“While the Monk ban is certainly significant, the Clown that’s now open because of that ban seems more important.”
“Ah. That’s Nogari’s main champion, right?”
“Exactly. His mastery with that champion is quite substantial.”
“Isn’t Nogari currently Gold 4? No matter what, when the opponent has a Master tier jungler and Miho in mid lane at Platinum, can he really compete?”
“Still, giving away a one-trick champion isn’t ideal. It has the effect of raising skill from Gold to Platinum tier. Especially since Nogari’s main content is streaming his Clown one-trick plays!”
“Ah… I see. Then we should be somewhat cautious about that?”
While the casters continued talking, the picks proceeded.
But there was an unexpected pick.
“Huh? The Clown?”
It was a Clown pick.
The problem was that the pick didn’t come from Soloizebaek.
“What do you mean?”
“Is Strawberry trying to take the Clown? Ah….”
“Since he’s a Master, does he have this much flexibility in his champion pool?”
“That’s Taco’s brilliant move!”
Strawberry Shooter decided to play the Clown.
This meant the opposing team couldn’t pick the Clown.
“Ah. I found the data. Strawberry Shooter has played this a few times recently!”
Originally, the reason Strawberry Shooter played the Clown was to gather some information on the opponent’s main champion.
But Taco judged it better to just pick it ourselves instead.
‘I need to set up the board so Miho can hold out as well as possible.’
This was Taco’s spontaneous judgment, something not discussed in the waiting room.
It was quite a bold decision, made because the primary battleground of this match would be the mid lane.
‘Running the calculations, Strawberry can handle that guy pretty well with the Clown.’
* * *
“What? They’re stealing this?”
Mosol was utterly bewildered.
How important was the first pick… and they’re using it on something like the Clown?
‘What are they trying to do?’
Wasn’t Balloon Stars about nurturing Almond?
Did they really need to invest like this in the jungle?
Nogari ultimately picked the safe Arachne that he had chosen in the first game.
‘This is unsettling.’
The fact that they’re paying this much attention to the jungle.
It means they have something in mind for the mid lane.
Is there really a reason to invest that much in Miho?
I’m not sure. Anyway, there’s no time. We need to continue with picks.
“Alright. Next pick. Let’s go.”
Mosol picked ‘Dancing Fire – Igtan,’ the mid laner with the best carry potential.
Similar to Solia in using fire, a divine incarnation, but Solia is a human who uses the sun’s psychic powers rather than fire itself.
Igtan is closer to a fire spirit than a human.
While lacking any notable mobility, he possesses overwhelming destructive power capable of burning down entire battlefields.
Whoooosh!
As the pick was finalized, crimson flames erupted around Mosol.
The audience erupted in cheers.
“Oh! Mosol’s Igtan!”
“Yeah. You could say he’s a safari mid laner? Igtan isn’t exactly a commonly played mid laner.”
“But he’s just as famous as Mosol’s Solia, right?”
“Yes. Interestingly, his style is quite different from Solia, but he plays it so well.”
Igtan was a pick that Mosol was fairly confident about.
The atmosphere grew even more heated.
But then──
A pick that doused everything with cold water followed.
──Splaaaaaash!
A refreshing sound of water erupted from the opposing side.
-Ooooooooh!
-Wooooaaah!
-I, I’m losing it!
The roar was far more intense than when Mosol had picked Igtan.
‘Insane….’
Mosol’s eyes lost focus.
[Tranquil Waves – Aqua]
It was a pick called Aqua, and as you could see, she was an incarnation of water itself.
I had chosen an incarnation of fire, so I wasn’t panicked just because it was water. Elemental matchups don’t apply in battles between incarnations.
But….
“Wow! Should we say she’s keeping her promise!?”
“Pool Party Aqua! That’s amazing! This is what mid lane carry looks like! It seems like she’s shouting it!”
“Already a super play!?”
Her skin was the problem.
Between the flowing blue hair, glimpses of pure white skin were visible.
Beyond the cleanly designed blue bikini, there were no more obstacles obscuring the view.
-Lmaooooo
-Mosol’s defeated….
-B, brother lost!
-“Stop… No, don’t, don’t stop!”
-Unfair Balloon Stars! Go! Get! Them! Balloon Stars!
“…Un, unfair. Are they really doing this?”
Mosol’s face turned red.
‘Should I not have shown the Monk in the first set?’
If it hadn’t been for Pool Party, I could have managed somehow!
By showing the Monk first, I couldn’t even avert my eyes, and now I had to face Miho in that outfit.
‘…If only I could have bought lingerie photoshoots!’
Mosol gritted his teeth, lamenting the regulations that wouldn’t allow him such training.
Meanwhile, the casters’ expressions brightened.
“Wow~! That’s incredible! But do you really think Mosol will lose because of the Pool Party skin!?”
“No way. Surely not. That would be real Mosol authentication.”
His teammates also asked Mosol with doubtful eyes.
“Hey… you’re not actually being affected, right? This isn’t a practice match….”
“Nah. We’ve faced her several times before. We can do this.”
“Ahem, ahem. What are you talking about, guys? It’s just a skin. Besides, I’ve been practicing.”
The draft continued.
[Frost Archer – Leon]
Taco picked the Frost Archer without hesitation.
It wasn’t exactly a high-damage pick… but if it were the old Soloizebaek duo, maybe. Now there’s no way our bottom lane can win the laning phase with that pick.
Almond winning lane and growing monstrously to sweep teamfights—that’s Balloon Stars’ formula for victory.
What was he thinking?
‘Ah…?’
Only now did Mosol see the picture the enemy was painting.
‘A synergy with Aqua?’
Why the enemy had deliberately taken the jungle first, and why they’d given Almond a low-damage type ADC.
‘Damn it.’
The Frost Archer had a skill that synergized with Aqua.
When Aqua applied water, freezing would trigger with just one hit.
It was one of the rare synergy elements in the game.
“Almond oppa and I are a couple, right?”
Miho asked with a smirk, turning to Almond. In fact, Frost Archer Leon and Aqua had a couple setting.
“Huh? Ah…”
Almond’s eyes, glancing casually to the side, lost their focus for a moment.
He’d only just now noticed Miho wearing the Pool Party skin because he’d been concentrating on the draft.
‘Manage your gaze. Manage your gaze.’
He etched Juhyeok’s warning about being careful of scandals into his mind a hundred times over, doing his best to avoid Miho’s eyes.
When he’d only seen her a few times on stream, it was fine, but since they’d built up some familiarity, it felt quite awkward.
Taco laughed heartily watching Almond.
“Hahaha! Why are you embarrassed? Almond!? Seeing that reaction from you means we won this one!”
“…”
Almond looked at Taco as if he couldn’t believe it.
And for good reason—Taco himself wasn’t even glancing in Miho’s direction.
“Alright! The draft is done!”
The draft finally wrapped up.
“Entering the match!”
White light engulfed everything, and the surroundings faded away.
* * *
After entering the battlefield.
Taco spoke in a deliberately serious tone.
“If we lose this one, we lose. You understand, right?”
The league match was best of three.
Hearing Taco’s words, the reality of being down 1:0 suddenly hit me.
“Almond. The Frost Archer is a roaming, macro-focused ADC. You know what I mean? We’re going to pressure other lanes just like Mosol does.”
We hadn’t used it much, but it was a combination I’d already practiced with Taco before.
Taco’s Fisherman and my Frost Archer.
A combination where we don’t obsess over killing the enemy ADC and Supporter, but instead invade the mid lane, jungle, and other areas to unfold the game.
Just like a Midlaner would.
‘Can I really have this much influence as a Bottom Laner?’
I was curious whether I could actually contain Mosol with this approach.
Taco placed his hand on my shoulder.
“An ADC can carry the entire game too. I’ll show you.”
He speaks as if reading my mind.
Well, he’s someone who spent his entire professional career as a Bottom Laner.
There’s no way he hasn’t wrestled with these doubts before.
‘I made the right call trusting Taco with the draft.’
I had worried whether Taco might overlook such limitations.
But Taco was already thinking ahead. He always saw one step further.
My heart felt considerably lighter now.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
A faint smile played at the corners of my mouth as I ran toward the battlefield.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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